If it doesn't taste good, why eat it?

pasta

That’s right, I said sausage. And not those greasy pork sausages either. Nice, lean chicken sausages. Still packed with flavor, but literally half of the fat (8 g versus 16). Imagine the spicy and salty flavor of the sausage with the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes, and the zestiness of the lemon, balanced with the mild basil and you’ve got a very tasty dish to fancy!

Ingredients:

3/4 pound farfalle (bowtie) pasta

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 hot Italian chicken sausages

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 bunch basil, torn

1 pound cherry , halved

2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

salt and pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente

Meanwhile, preheat a large skillet. Brown the sausages, then slice into coins

Add garlic and cook until sausage is cooked through, just another minute or so

Not everything in my kitchen is made from scratch. If it was, I could probably have a new post for every day of the week. But it’s not, so I don’t. In fact, Neil and I can be found munching a take-out pizza about once a month. We’ve had our share of turkey sandwiches, burgers, dogs, boxed mac-and-cheese, etc. With that in mind, this is a meal that I threw together in less than 10 minutes- yes you heard me right. And it was great! Spicy, vinegary peanut shrimp over smooth rice noodles with sweet, steamed fresh green beans.

This is a great recipe for a main course. It can be made as-is for a vegetarian dish or you could add some grilled chicken or shrimp. For this round I chose to serve it with lima beans for protein. They have such fantastic flavor and texture (and Neil and I both love them). The lentils are a wonderful pairing with the fresh lemon juice, and the artichoke hearts add an element of buttery sweetness. This is a perfect fit for a healthy meal with tons of flavor.

I can honestly say that I love a good bolognese. So when I saw this recipe for one without any meat I was certainly skeptical. How does one take a recipe that is by nature fatty with meat drippings and cream and make it both vegetarian and healthy? In a side-by-side, there is no comparison. They are simply two different beasts. But to take this dish for what it is, it’s great in its own right.

I would suggest making it ahead a day or two and allow it to sit around in the fridge and meld flavors.

Last night’s dinner was inspired by a package of butternut squash triangoli that we had picked up at Trader Joe’s. We needed a quick meal and this would fit the bill.

I took one chicken breast, cut it in half, pounded it out nice and thin, and then floured & bread-crumbed it. That went into the oven at 400 for about 10 minutes per side, and was finished off with a bit of fresh parmesan. Meanwhile I sauteed some onion, mushroom, garlic, asparagus, green pepper and fresh spinach with pine nuts. The triangoli cooked up in about 4 minutes, and the sauteed veggies went right over the top- again with a bit of parm.